CANMORE – With Main Street in Canmore closed off to vehicles, Mari Rosehill and her friend Mister Bird set up a couple of chairs in the middle of the road and had a spontaneous late-night jam.
The spur-of-the-moment performance inspired her to write the Main Street Song, which she described as a nod to the closeness and vibrancy of the Canmore music scene as well as the preservation of the momentary magic of the warm summer evening where she played live music with Main Street as the stage.
Rosehill grew up in Canmore before leaving at 17 years old, but has lived in the mountain town since 2018 where she thought it would be more of a stopping point. But she has ultimately stayed longer than she originally planned due to the growing music scene and the support she has received being a local artist.
“It really was the music scene had sort of taken off here and become so much more supportive of local artists and music was the thing I wanted to pursue, so I’ve just ended up staying here over the years and have gotten some really great opportunities,” said Rosehill.
Main Street Song is Rosehill’s first self-produced song, which was made possible after being awarded the Emerging Artist Bursary by Lamphouse Endowment.
“Being awarded the grant has allowed me to self-produce, with the right equipment and further education,” said Rosehill.
Rosehill was able to give Canmore a live taste of Main Street Song on the Mountain FM Pub stage for the Canmore Folk Music Festival.
“Being at music festivals like this, and in the summertime when more gigs are happening, it definitely validates the musician within me and makes me want to just keep doing it and singing to an audience,” said Rosehill.
Main Street Song followed her debut album released in 2022, ‘A Little Unhinged, A Little Bit Weird’, and she is hoping that Main Street Song gives a taste of her next album which will be centered around her life growing up in Canmore and the change that the town has seen.
Main Street Song along with more of Rosehill's work is available for listening on streaming platforms and https://marirosehill.com/music.
Rosehill will be playing live next at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival Aug. 10-13.
